Questions about importing a car into Portugal
Short answers, each with its source. For the explanation, click through to the page on the subject.
All questions and answers
How much ISV will I pay for my car?
That depends on the engine capacity, the CO2 emissions and the age of the car. For a used car from the EU the amount is reduced by 10% to 80%. We cannot give a fixed amount: the rates change with the budget. Calculate it with the simulator in the Portal das Finanças before you decide. The explanation is in Understanding ISV.
When do I not have to pay ISV?
When you move to Portugal and bring your own car. You must be over 18, have lived abroad for at least six months, have owned the car for at least six months and file the request within 12 months of your move. All conditions are in ISV exemption.
Do I need to have owned the car for twelve months to get the exemption?
No. You can still read twelve months online, but the law and the government page say six months of ownership and six months of residence abroad. The twelve months that are correct are the deadline to file the request (12 months after your move) and the period in which you may not sell the car afterwards (12 months).
How soon do I have to declare the car after arriving in Portugal?
You file the DAV within 20 working days after the car enters Portugal. Before that declaration you already need the IMT homologation declaration and the inspection, so start on those in the first week. See Filing the DAV.
May I drive the car while the import is in progress?
After filing the DAV you may, according to the IMT's government page, drive for 60 days with only the DAV; the registration request must be filed within that time. Keep the DAV and your insurance certificate in the car, and ask your insurer beforehand whether cover continues during this period.
Can I keep driving on my Dutch plates as a resident of Portugal?
No. The scheme for foreign plates (six months in any twelve) only applies to someone who does not live in Portugal. If you live there, the car must be declared within 20 working days of arrival. See Driving on Dutch plates.
May I sell the car after I got the exemption?
Not within 12 months of the assignment of the Portuguese registration. In that period you may not give the car away, rent it out or lend it to third parties either. If you do, you pay the full ISV after all and risk a fine.
Do I need a COC?
Yes, always. From our own experience: Portugal only accepts the original COC from the dealer or the manufacturer (importer) in the country where you bought the car. A substitute document, such as a VTG, is not accepted. If it is not with the car's papers, order it in good time and allow for delivery time. Include it for the IMT, the inspection and customs.
Do I have to deregister the car in the Netherlands first?
Not necessarily. The RDW itself advises you to first find out which documents the importing country asks for and not to deregister the car before you know. Portugal asks for the original registration certificate. If the car is already in Portugal, you can report the export online; the RDW assesses that within 10 working days. Both routes are in Export from the Netherlands.
Do I get Dutch bpm back?
Possibly. The car must have got its Dutch registration on or after 16 October 2006, not be a damaged vehicle, have the status 'Export' at the RDW and be registered in another EU country within 13 weeks of that status. You claim the refund from the Dutch tax office (Belastingdienst), which determines the amount.
Do I pay ISV on an electric car?
No. Fully electric cars fall outside ISV and are exempt from the annual IUC. You do go through the rest of the route (DAV, homologation, inspection, registration, ownership registration). A plug-in hybrid is not exempt; see Electric and hybrid.
Am I done once I have the Portuguese registration number?
No, and this is the step that is forgotten most often. After the registration number you request the certificado de matrícula from the IMT and have the car registered in your name at the IRN; that has a legal deadline of 60 days. The first IUC follows after that. See Registration in your name.
Can I do the import myself or do I need an agency?
You can do it yourself. The declaration, the exemption request and the homologation declaration are done online, and filing the exemption request is free. It does require your papers to be in order and the deadlines to be watched. If you do not want that or do not read Portuguese, you can hire a despachante (customs agent) or an import agency; they charge their own fee.
How long does the whole route take?
The law only sets deadlines for your steps: the DAV within 20 working days, any payment within 10 working days, the registration request within 60 days and the ownership registration within 60 days. How long the IMT and customs take over their part is not fixed anywhere and varies a lot. Count on weeks to a few months and start right after arrival.
Can I bring a leased car under the exemption?
The government page mentions the leased car explicitly: the period of six months then counts from the date of the lease contract. You do need the lease company's cooperation, because it is the one on the registration certificate. Put your situation to customs beforehand.
What if I missed the 20-working-day deadline?
File the DAV as soon as you can and contact the customs office. We could not establish from an official source what the consequences of a late declaration are in your situation, so we do not state them here. The deadline for the exemption is a different one: that request must be in within 12 months of your move.
Facts and sources on this page
Every highlighted value in the text comes from an official source that we read ourselves.
10%For a used car from another EU member state the ISV is reduced according to table D; for a car up to one year old that is 10%.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV), table D (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 11.º n.º 1 · Checked on
80%The highest reduction in table D is 80%, for a car older than ten years. Age counts from the first registration to the end of the DAV deadline (art. 11.º n.º 2).
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV), table D (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 11.º n.º 1 · Checked on
18The exemption is for people over 18 who transfer their residence to Portugal from an EU member state or a third country.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 58.º n.º 1 · Checked on
six monthsFor the exemption you must prove that you lived abroad for at least six months before moving to Portugal.
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 59.º n.º 1 a) · Checked on
six monthsThe car must have been your property in the country of origin for at least six months before the move, counted from the issue date of the registration certificate (or of the lease contract).
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 60.º n.º 1 c) · Checked on
12 monthsThe ISV exemption on moving must be requested within 12 months of the date you transferred your residence to Portugal.
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 45.º n.º 2 a) · Checked on
12 monthsYou may not sell, give away, rent out or lend an exempt car within 12 months of the assignment of the Portuguese registration. If you do, the full ISV becomes payable.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 47.º n.º 1 · Checked on
20 working daysA private individual files the DAV (customs declaration for vehicles) within 20 working days after the vehicle enters Portugal.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 20.º n.º 1 a) · Checked on
60 daysWith only the DAV you may drive the car for 60 consecutive days. The registration request must be filed within those 60 days.
Source: Pedir a matrícula para um veículo importado (gov.pt, updated 04-09-2026) (Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) · Legal basis: Decreto-Lei n.º 102-B/2020 · Checked on
six months in any twelveA car with a definitive registration from another EU member state may be driven in Portugal for at most six months, continuous or interrupted, in each twelve-month period, and only when it is registered to someone who does not live in Portugal and was brought in by that person for private use.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 30.º n.º 1 · Checked on
10 working daysIf the car is already abroad, you report the export yourself online (Melding export). The RDW assesses it within 10 working days and sends a confirmation letter; only stop the insurance once you have that letter. This route gives you no export certificate.
Source: Voertuig exporteren (RDW) (RDW) · Checked on
16 October 2006A bpm refund on export is only possible for a vehicle that got its Dutch registration on or after 16 October 2006, that is not a damaged vehicle and that has the status 'Export' at the RDW.
Source: Teruggaaf bpm bij export van een gebruikt motorrijtuig (Belastingdienst) (Belastingdienst) · Checked on
13 weeksFor the bpm refund, documents must show that the vehicle was permanently registered in another EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway within 13 weeks of getting export status at the RDW.
Source: Teruggaaf bpm bij export van een gebruikt motorrijtuig (Belastingdienst) (Belastingdienst) · Checked on
outside ISVFully electric vehicles fall outside the scope of ISV.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 2.º n.º 2 a) · Checked on
exemptFully electric vehicles are exempt from IUC.
Source: IUC — Imposto Único de Circulação (Portal das Finanças) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Checked on
60 daysRegistering a vehicle in the owner's name (registo automóvel) has a legal deadline of 60 days. An initial registration can be filed online.
Source: Registar um automóvel (gov.pt, updated 27-04-2026) (Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado) · Checked on
freeFiling the exemption request is free of charge.
Source: Pedir a isenção do ISV quando se vem morar para Portugal (gov.pt, updated 27-03-2026) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Checked on
10 working daysISV must be paid within 10 working days of the notification of the assessment.
Source: Código do Imposto sobre Veículos (CISV) (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) · Legal basis: CISV art. 27.º n.º 1 · Checked on